Choosing a Forage Crop 171 



will yield its normal harvest in grain. The pigs are often 

 allowed to remain on the land and the mature crop pas- 

 tured as ripe rye ; or it may be pastured heavily in the 

 spring and the land early prepared and sown to other 

 forage crops. When broadcasted between the corn rows 

 in the late summer, rye supplies valuable succulence 

 for the shotes when "hogging-down" the corn, or for 

 grazing the breeding stock in the late fall and early 

 spring. Because of its very watery nature, green rye 

 causes rather extreme looseness of the bowels, which, 

 with young pigs, frequently develops into scours. Keep- 

 ing the pigs out of the rye when it is wet and limiting 

 the time they are allowed to graze will help in prevent- 

 ing the trouble. 



Rye as a winter forage. 



The possibilities in the use of rye as a winter forage 

 crop in those sections in which the winters are mild and 

 open are well demonstrated by experimental studies made 

 at the Kentucky Station.^ The results of a trial conducted 

 during the winter of 1910-11 are shown in the table on 

 the following page. This experiment began November 

 11 and closed April 8, covering a period of 147 days. 



The results in this test, as shown by the rate of gain 

 and the grain required to produce a given gain, would 

 indicate that rye may be of considerable value as a winter 

 forage. Although young rye is fairly rich in protein, it 

 would seem that some form of protein supplement, like 

 tankage, should be fed for the most rapid or the most 

 economical gains. The rye was covered with snow for a 

 short part of the time in the winter. 



• Bull. 175. 



